A graduate of Mary Baldwin College, Robin has been working for nonprofit agencies for most of her life. Robin started her nonprofit career managing a nonprofit foundation before becoming the Vice President of Planned Parenthood, and then she moved into the role she has served in now for over 21 years as the Chief Executive Officer for Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP). CHIP seeks to pair pregnant and low-income mothers with a family case manager and community health nurse to help improve the health and school readiness of the child. Last year, the agency helped over 600 families. In her conversation with Hal, she explains more about how the agency is changing the lives of underserved children and families, the challenges she's faced with sharing her message, and she shares advice for running a successful nonprofit agency.

Meet Dawn Sandoval, who has been serving the homeless in the Roanoke Valley for over seven years. There are an estimated 300+ people in the Valley who are homeless—people who are living under bridges, camping in local parks, bathing in the river, and sleeping in alleys and doorways. Dawn started this ministry with her husband to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people who are suffering from homelessness. In her conversation, she shares about what homelessness and what it looks like, how her ministry began and where her passion comes from, and advice for anyone who is striving to share their message.

Meet Mike Garrison, who has been in sales, business coaching, and strategic planning for over 20 years. Over his career, Mike has owned and sold multiple profitable business ventures and even been an international franchisor. In his conversation, he shares more about his experience with referral marketing, the biggest problem with referrals, how to make referrals work for you and your business, and he shares tips to help entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed.

Meet Jeff Keaton, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Renewanation. His organization’s mission is to transform culture by giving millions of children a biblical worldview, that is, an understanding how God views every area of life such as who God is, where the world came from and why we exist. In his conversation, Jeff talks about how he founded Renewanation, how to have the right motivation for starting a new organization, and he shares more about how he followed God’s vision for his life.

Cally Smith is one busy lady. Not only is she Vice President of Membership and Brand Strategy for the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, she also facilitates the Leadership Roanoke Valley programs, sits on the steering committee for the Young Professional Conference and the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of the Blue Ridge-New Generations.... among other things. Cally is full of energy and advice for young professionals, and she shares her insights in this week’s podcast.

Guaranteed Rateis one of the country’s largest mortgage lending companies, and now they have a branch right here in Roanoke. Meet Will Blaylock and Jason Bialek, Associate VP and VP of Mortgage Lending. In this week’s podcast, they talk about the challenges of the ever-changing mortgage industry, the benefits of their company’s streamlined approach to the lending process, and why the personal touch remains an important part of doing business.

This week, we talk with Rick Morrison, who is the founder of Inspired Policing Solutions, a faith-based consulting and training organization that is geared towards organizational transformation for businesses, non-profits, and law enforcement agencies. In his conversation with us, Rick discusses where his passion comes from, how he moved from Police Captain to CEO/Founder, and he shares helpful tips for anyone considering starting a business.

This week, we talk to Meagan Cupka, Assistant Director of the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. Meagan talks about the importance of land conservation in Southwestern Virginia, the fun of educating the next generation of environmental protectors, and the need to settle in for the long haul when it comes to land preservation.

Meet Tom Field, president of Berryfield Marketing and owner of Valley Business FRONT magazine. In this wide-ranging discussion, Tom talks about his local roots and his long career in marketing. He also looks at the pros and cons of the modern gig economy and shares the secrets of success for the modern entrepreneur.